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This weekend, more than 10,000 vis-
itors are expected to attend the events
at the Sumpter Township Country
Festival.
That's a long way from the very first
such celebration in 1975 when the
event, called Sumpter Days, was cele-
brated for the first time under the
direction of the late Adonna Demski.
That year, it was a one-day event in
GrahamPark onWearRoad and it took
only 10 volunteers to arrange all the
festivities which included fireworks,
crafts, a small parade, some honored
citizens, a carnival and the Queen
Contest. About 100 people attended
the event that inaugural year.
The next year, however, during the
celebration of the American
Bicentennial, more than 2,000 folks
attended the event which saw several
floats added to the parade. In 1984 and
1985, as the event continued to attract
crowds, Sumpter Days grew to a four-
day event inGrahamPark.
The theme of the event changed in
1986 when “country” became the
theme of the festival and it became the
Sumpter Country Fest. The festival
was moved from the Graham Park
location to the Sumpter Township Fair
Grounds. In 1987 a championship
Rodeo and Demolition Derby were
added and the festival continued to
grow inpopularity every year.
Sumpter Country Fest has added
entertainment that draws crowds from
the local community and attracts visi-
tors from surrounding areas.
Attendance figures have grown to
approximately 10,000 annually.
The Country Fest is run exclusively
by volunteer members of the Sumpter
Township Parks and Recreation
Commission and the community. It is
also a registered non-profit 501.3 ©
organization.
The Sumpter Parks and Recreation
Commission and the Sumpter
Township Board of Trustees members
annually welcome visitors to the 2016
Sumpter Country Fest and said that
they hope that everyone has an enjoy-
able time.
“Thank you for being here and cele-
brating our sense of community with
us,” the trustees said.
Thank you for
being here and
celebrating our sense
of community with us.
”
Festival has long history in Sumpter Township
